Energy management with ISO 50005

Energy costs are high and continue to rise dramatically. A company's own energy management system can relieve the burden. However, municipalities, SMEs and public institutions in particular often have only limited funds and resources available for this. But there are also suitable solutions for smaller organisations.

The use of an energy management system (EnMS) makes it possible to identify potential savings and initiate essential measures to counteract high energy costs and, at the same time, reduce climate and environmental pollution.

ISO 50001 standard

ISO 50001 as a norm standard for energy management ensures the necessary system quality: An extensive measuring system with a high resolution, automatic data acquisition and processing creates an excellent basis for analyses. As a result, measures can be derived very precisely and on a large scale. At the same time, the success of implementation is easier to verify.

However, not everyone has the financial means or personnel capacity to establish a certified energy management system in their own organisation in accordance with the requirements of ISO 50001. But even the first small steps toward energy management can reveal potential savings – which are all the more crucial in view of the coming heating season.

ISO 50005: Low-threshold entry into energy management

The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is also aware that, depending on the organisational structure and size, the introduction of an energy management system in accordance with ISO 50001 can be very time-consuming. Therefore, ISO 50005 was published for the first time in September 2021.

This standard is a kind of guide for organizations for the step-by-step implementation of an energy management system. It makes it possible to balance the required effort with the available resources. This makes getting started with energy management attractive even for organisations with limited resources, such as SMEs: because in this size dimension, the use of small resources can lead to an improvement in energy efficiency in a short time.

Step-by-step introduction in four implementation levels

The guidance in the standard contains the twelve most essential elements of an energy management system, each divided into four implementation levels:

• Level 1: Activate energy management
• Level 2: Improving energy management
• Level 3: Emerging energy management
• Level 4: Established energy management

By implementing the most important elements, such as monitoring and introducing energy performance indicators, energy savings potential can be identified and increased – even at Level 1.

The Federal Environment Agency provides supporting documents (e.g., a work plan) as well as insights and guidance on the elements or levels. The documents provide initial orientation and are freely accessible – even if you have not purchased the standard.

Costs for getting started with energy management

The question about the cost of an energy management system, cannot be answered in a blanket way. The price depends on many factors, such as the scope of requirements, company size and company structure. The company's own operating costs also play a not inconsiderable role. However, it can be significantly reduced by using a software solution.

By using a professional energy management software like IngSoft InterWatt, meaningful evaluations can be generated – already with little effort and few energy consumption values. It also provides a valuable overview of the energy flows within an organisation.

For a cost-effective entry into energy management, a software rental model is available, which is also available for IngSoft InterWatt. It is suitable for the step-by-step introduction of energy management in accordance with ISO 50005 and is therefore particularly interesting for small organisations and SMEs that want to reduce their energy consumption quickly and cost-effectively now. At the same time, it opens up the possibility of first testing the software at low cost and deciding whether it should be integrated into one's own management in the long term.

The standard version of our software is sufficient to get started with energy management. If demand increases, the range of functions can of course be expanded.

Saving energy in the coming heating season

We know that especially now, with a view to the coming heating period, many companies are in great need of a quick and easy introduction to energy management. We would like to make it easier for you to get started: our IngSoft InterWatt rental model offers small companies a cost-effective solution that can be implemented quickly.

Learn more?

Would you like to get started quickly in energy management and/or are you interested in the rental model of our IngSoft InterWatt software solution? We would be happy to work with you to find the right solution for your company. Feel free to call us at +49 (911) 430879-100 or send us an email for more information:

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